RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Manhattan men's basketball team dropped its first overtime contest in two years falling 63-61 to Canisius (9-9, 4-3 MAAC) on Saturday at Draddy Gymnasium. The Jaspers battled back from a 22 point deficit and led by as many as four points with less than four minutes remaining in regulation, but it was Golden Griffs guard Julius Coles who knocked down a 3 with six seconds left in overtime to seal the victory. Rico Pickett and Darryl Crawford led all players with 16 points apiece as Manhattan's (7-10, 2-5 MAAC) streak of five straight victories over Canisius was snapped.
The Jaspers mounted a furious 22-5 run to open the second half taking their first lead of the contest, 45-44, with 9:47 remaining on Crawford's jump shot. Manhattan limited the Golden Griffs to just one field goal over the surge, including a span of eight minutes without a bucket. Crawford scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half and shot 8-for-10 from the free-throw line.
Manhattan built its advantage to four points on three occasions, its largest lead of the contest. Jaspers' junior forward Andrew Gabriel gave Manhattan a 56-52 lead with at layup at 3:41. Golden Griffs junior forward Elton Frazier responded about one minute later with a one-handed dunk, and then Tomas Vazquez-Simmons sank two free-throws with 27 second remaining to force OT.
Pickett missed an opportunity to end the contest with a jumper that was off the mark as time expired in regulation.
The Jaspers held a 61-59 advantage with 1:21 remaining in overtime courtesy of Pickett's jump shot just inside the 3-point arc. But after a free-throw by Frank Turner, the Golden Griffs made a defensive stop to take possession with 22 seconds down by one point. Canisius burnt the clock and with six ticks left point guard Frank Turner kicked the ball out to Coles who sank the decisive 3-pointer right in front of the Canisius bench.
Manhattan shot just 33.3% (20-60) in the contest and did not convert a 3-pointer (0-12). It was the first time the Jaspers were held without a 3 since going 0-for-6 from downtown in a victory at Loyola on Feb. 7, 2009. The Golden Griffs were 39.6% (21-53) from the field and 33.3% (6-18) from beyond the arc.
Manhattan struggled shooting in the first half as Canisius rolled on a 32-10 game opening run. The Golden Griffs hit eight of their first 12 shot attempts, while Manhattan started 1-for-11. The Golden Griffs held a 39-23 advantage at halftime.
Four Golden Griffs scored in double-figures, including Coles team-high 15 points. Vazquez-Simmons finished with a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds). Manhattan received nine points from Brandon Adams and junior center Laurence Jolicoeur added six points and a career-high 11 rebounds.
The teams traded leads eight times and the contest was tied four times. Manhattan forced 15 turnovers and shot 72.4% (21-29) from the free-throw line.
Manhattan returns to action on Monday when the Jaspers travel to Albany, N.Y. for its showdown with Siena. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Times Union Center.